The BBC says that the two tanks that exploded belong to the company, LyondellBasell, which has headquarters in the Netherlands and the United States. The same BBC report says a detonator type device was found at a third tank, but it did not explode. It moreover said the attack might have been linked to the recent pilfering of explosives at a nearby French Army (Armée de terre) base in Miramas.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that these events were linked and carried out by terrorists, which at this stage is a strong possibility in light of recent Islamist jihadist attacks in January 2015 and in 2014 (see partial list below.) France has also been subject to regular threats by groups such as al Qaeda, ISIS, and their franchises. If terrorism is indeed the case here, and if there are military grade explosives in the hands of a hostile party, then additional attacks in France are likely, and summer tourist targets cannot be ruled out.